A Swiss Wedding.
We have lived in Switzerland for five years, and have, of course, seen a great many weddings among the people, but never one of those grand affairs which are the talk of a small town for weeks. Last autumn, while we were in Winterthur, we learned that a wedding was to take place in the "Stadtkirche," bride and bridegroom coming from two of the best old families. As both were millionaires (in francs, not dollars), people expected something magnificent, so we decided to go to the church to see what it would be like.
There are no private church weddings in Switzerland. Every one who chooses may go to witness the ceremony, and the day we went the church was full of people of every description—ladies and gentlemen, as well as bareheaded peasants and children. It seems to me that one must have an enormous amount of courage to get married in Europe. The bride we saw had to submit to be stared at for a good hour in church, and even then she was not allowed to go off and rest.
When we had waited patiently for about half an hour the clock struck one, the church doors were thrown open, the organ pealed forth a wedding march, and in came the bride on the bridegroom's arm. They walked up to the beautifully decorated altar, in front of which were the seats reserved for the wedding guests, and here they separated, the bride going to the places on the left of the aisle, the groom to those on the right.
Then followed couple after couple, the ladies all in full evening dress, and each separated at the altar also. When they were all seated the minister preached a short sermon. Then the organ accompanied a song sung by the bride's sister. This was very beautiful, for there was also a violin obligato. Then the bridal couple stood up and were married, after which they again parted, going back to their seats. Some little children sang with the organ, and then the ceremony was over, but not the wedding.
There was a grand dinner which lasted hours and hours, for between each course there was acting, or tableaux, or dancing, and it was not until late in the evening that the bride could depart on her wedding journey, and very tired she must have been. Some people go for long drives in the afternoon, if the day is beautiful. In this case they all go bareheaded and in open carriages. The peasants cannot always afford to drive, so simply take long walks, some to the country, but the general preference is for the town. Here they walk, two by two, through all the principal streets, going in at some confectioner's for something to eat, and enjoying themselves greatly. These brides generally dress in black with white veils (or none at all), and artificial flowers in their hair. The girls are always confirmed in black dresses in German Switzerland, and the poor people wear the same dresses for their weddings. A very thrifty custom, is it not? Swiss weddings may be very nice to Swiss people, but I, for my part, prefer American ones, and if I ever marry, I hope it will be in my own dear country.
Marian Greene, R.T.F.
Cryptography.
From very ancient times secret writing, known as cipher (from the Arabic sifr, "void"), or cryptography (from the Greek "hidden writing"), has been an important means of communication. In great national crises, where absolutely secret communication was necessary, it has saved much time and trouble. Charles I. wrote his famous letter to the Earl of Glamorgan in cipher, consisting of variously shaded and lengthened strokes of the pen. This letter was afterwards deciphered, and proved to be a concession to the Roman Catholics of Ireland, which, if generally known at the time, would have caused serious trouble. Lord Bacon also made frequent use of the cipher but even his ingenious methods have since been discovered.
There are many methods. Perhaps the most common is the variety found in one of the Sherlock Holmes tales, where, in a seemingly plain, every-day sentence, words set at intervals give the hidden meaning. Poe's fascinating "Gold-Bug" is founded on the solution of one of Captain Kidd's cryptograms. One can readily construct a cipher requiring considerable effort to read. One of the best known for common purposes is the "Dial Cryptogram."
A DIAL CRYPTOGRAM.
On a six-inch square of card-board draw a circle containing twenty-seven parts. In each write one of the capital letters of the alphabet, including &. Also cut out a circle of card-board which exactly fits the circle on the square. It should be edged by twenty-seven spaces containing the small letters of the alphabet, including &. Place this disk on the square and drive a pin through the centre. Your correspondent having a similar dial, you are ready to write. Suppose your message is the following:
The box containing the famous Marston-Endive ciphers has at last been found in a secret drawer of the billiard-room wainscoting. Yours, Kelpee.
At the beginning you write the capital, and at the end the small letters which are opposite each other when you have arranged your dial. The inner circle is so placed, say, that T and m are opposite each other. Beginning your message with T, and closing with m you would have:
T. may vhq whgmubgbg& may zufhnl fuklmhg-ygxboy wbiaykl aul um eulm vyyg zhngx bg u lywkym xkupyp hz may vbeebukx-khhf pubglwhmbg&. rhnkl dyeiyy. m.
The stencil cryptogram is also a very good one, and is easily managed. Take two squares of paste-board, and at irregular intervals cut out narrow openings. Your correspondent being provided with one of the stencils, you place your own on a sheet of paper, and in the openings write your message. You then fill the intermediate spaces with any words that will connect the whole and make sense. Your correspondent places his stencil on the message—and the meaning is clear.
Vincent V. M. Beede.